


The Art of School-Sponsored Valentine's Day Dances

by dearzoemurphy



Series: 100 Ways to Say "I Love You" [14]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Mid-Canon, Missing Scene, School Dances, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27103282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearzoemurphy/pseuds/dearzoemurphy
Summary: 100 way to say 'I love you' #14: can I have this dance?This was probably the best that the Greendale cafeteria had ever looked; strings of fairy lights wound around each of its pillars, decorative tulle covering up every unattractive feature, and spirals of shiny dollar store hearts hanging from the ceiling.This also may have been the best that Jeff had ever looked; his hair perfectly coiffed, his beard present but neatly trimmed, and his dark denim button up tight enough to show off everything that he wanted to show off. He’d once remarked to Britta that he looked best under soft light, and from where she was currently standing, she had to agree.Greendale's Valentine's Day dance seems to be going a little too well, so Jeff seeks out Britta's company. Set mid-season 3.
Relationships: Britta Perry/Jeff Winger
Series: 100 Ways to Say "I Love You" [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1257944
Comments: 13
Kudos: 26





	The Art of School-Sponsored Valentine's Day Dances

**Author's Note:**

> hello, take some Valentine's Day fluff for the soul.
> 
> ~~also maybe have I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz queued up, you'll see why near the middle of this fic~~
> 
> without further ado, I hope you all enjoy!! <3

“Pretty uneventful dance, huh?”

Britta turned to see Jeff approaching the table she was standing at. When he reached it, he propped one arm up on it and joined her in observing the crowd of dancing students. She gave him a wry smile as he was clearly trying to play it cool; attempting to hide the fact that he was continually sneaking sideways glances at her. In his defense, the form-fitting black lace dress she was wearing _did_ look amazing on her.

“Yeah. Strangely uneventful,” Britta replied. She coyly brushed a loose curl behind her ear, feeling a small swell of pride when Jeff dropped his vaguely bored and uninterested act, finally turning to face her.

“I wonder what’s going to go wrong. There has to be _something_ that goes wrong, Greendale can’t have a Valentine’s dance without any incidents,” Jeff said.

Britta laughed. “What, do you have another relationship for me to save?” she asked, referencing the incident from their freshman year.

“I don’t know, do you have another straight girl to make out with under false pretenses?”

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, eliciting a laugh from Jeff.

“Who told you about that?”

“People talk, Britta. People talk,” Jeff replied vaguely.

“Well…whatever! We’re both over it now. I actually got coffee with Paige just last week,” Britta said smugly, “Have you even spoken to Michelle since the end of freshmen year?”

“No, why would I?”

Britta sighed, almost slumping over onto the table. “Whatever. Not the point.”

“What is the point?”

“I don’t know, you came over to talk to me!”

Jeff shrugged. “Sure. I was just bored. Troy and Abed are currently executing a cookie cake heist, Annie is off with her new girlfriend, and Shirley is dancing with her dreadlocked love. You’re the only person who wasn’t doing anything,” he said.

“Rude,” Britta grumbled.

“I didn’t mean it in a rude way. I also wasn’t doing anything,” Jeff said with another casual shrug.

She eyed him suspiciously. “Sure, I’m sure.”

From where they were standing, they had a nice view of the dance floor and all of the other attendees. Out of the corner of her eye, Britta noticed a densely packed area and spun around to give it her full attention. It seemed that Leonard and Chang were currently engaged in a surprisingly intense dance battle. Others had begun to crowd around the pair, egging them on by chanting one or the others’ name.

“Well, there’s something,” Britta said, gesturing towards the current scene on the dance floor and looking back at Jeff.

He chuckled, already engrossed in the rapidly unfolding disaster. “It sure is. I always forget that Chang isn’t terrible at popping-and-locking.”

Britta wasn’t sure why, but watching Jeff watch the two men dance became more appealing than watching the dance battle itself. He was smiling wider than she’d seen him smile in a while, his eyes scrunching up in contentment and his faint dimples showing themselves. There hadn’t been a lot of times this year where they’d been truly happy, had there? It seemed like they had been jumping from crisis to crisis with a greater intensity, rarely able to slow down and catch their breath. From ending a blanket and pillow fort-based civil war to paying off Abed’s debt incurred from hiring celebrity impersonators to fulfilling Dean Pelton’s lofty wish for a perfect commercial, they’d been charging forward at an almost unrelenting pace. So seeing Jeff smile, truly smile, at the absurdity unfolding in front of them meant more to Britta than she would ever want to admit.

At some point, he noticed her looking at him and turned to meet her gaze, an eyebrow quirking up curiously.

“Like what you see?” Jeff asked in a low voice.

Britta’s face flushed out of embarrassment at being caught. “I…I was just zoning out a little. Long week.”

“Don’t I know it,” he grumbled, propping his elbows up on the table and leaning his head onto his hands.

“Isn’t it weird that we had a flock of sheep let loose on campus yesterday and it wasn’t even the weirdest thing that’s happened this week?” Britta asked, leaning forward onto the table in a similar fashion.

Jeff chuckled. “Absolutely. My scale of weirdness has been totally fucked by this school.”

Britta laughed along with him, glad to have brushed off her awkward moment. Their laughter quickly subsided, leaving them smiling and gazing at each other, both of them leaning further and further over the table, close enough to feel the other’s breath on their face.

This was probably the best that the Greendale cafeteria had ever looked; strings of fairy lights wound around each of its pillars, decorative tulle covering up every unattractive feature, and spirals of shiny dollar store hearts hanging from the ceiling.

This also may have been the best that Jeff had ever looked; his hair perfectly coiffed, his beard present but neatly trimmed, and his dark denim button up tight enough to show off everything that he wanted to show off. He’d once remarked to Britta that he looked best under soft light, and from where she was currently standing, she had to agree.

Upon realizing what was happening, Britta quickly averted her gaze and directed it down towards the table, trying to break whatever strange tension had just been building.

“Um, so, uh…”

“Britta?”

“Yeah?”

A beat of silence.

“Can I have this dance?”

She looked back up to see Jeff holding his hand out to her. He looked like he was glowing now, the twinkling lights casting a near golden halo around him.

“Oh! Um, yeah, sure. I mean, of course!” Britta stammered, mildly unsure of how to process everything in front of her.

A slower song had come on, something Britta vaguely recognized as being by Jason Mraz. Whenever this particular song came on the radio, she would roll her eyes and change the station. It was almost disgustingly sappy, and far too popular for how bland and formulaic it was. However, she wouldn’t have wanted anything else to be playing as Jeff led her to the dance floor.

She usually would raise a fuss with her slow dancing partners about them letting her lead, or at least insist on taking turns. But she was perfectly content to let Jeff arrange their hands, clutching her right tightly in his and letting his left drift down to her waist. Britta placed her free hand on his shoulder as he pulled her in closer with a gentle tug; so close that their bodies were almost flush up against one another.

It was somewhat difficult for Britta to lift her head enough to look at Jeff. It was admittedly difficult on a normal day, given their height difference of almost an entire foot - a difference that Jeff would never let her forget. But his current soft expression and the way his eyes were almost shining were making it even harder than it usually was.

“I’m surprised that you didn’t insist on being the one to lead,” Jeff remarked as they swayed in time to the music.

Britta smirked. He knew her too well. “Yeah? Well, I figured that I should let you have this one. I think it’s the first time you’ve properly asked me to dance.”

“Is it now?”

“Yeah. The time when we were drunk at Greendale’s Oktoberfest doesn’t count,” she said with a laugh, fondly reminiscing on the event. All she could remember at the moment was Troy and Abed convincing Jeff to wear traditional lederhosen with them, but that was more than enough.

“And why doesn’t that count?” Jeff asked.

“You didn’t so much ask me as you did drag me down to the stage where the band was playing,” Britta said with a laugh.

He shrugged. “Fair enough. You looked really good in that dirndl.”

Britta was ashamed at how that remark made her almost bashful. “You looked awful in that lederhosen,” she teased.

Jeff gave an over the top gasp, pressing in hand to his chest with indignance. He’d seemingly forgotten that he was holding Britta’s hand, and as such, pulled hers up along with his own. However, she didn’t mind. This way, she could feel his heart practically racing against the back of her hand.

“Excuse you, I looked amazing in that lederhosen. Drunk Britta told me so,” he protested.

She felt her cheeks flush again as he pulled their hands back away from his chest. “Well, her standards are much lower than mine.”

“Don’t I know it.”

Britta looked down for a moment again, collecting herself before looking back up at Jeff. He was smiling the brightest that he had all night, his thumb gently rubbing the outside of hers.

He adjusted his grip on her waist and pulled her in even closer, close enough that her head was resting against his chest. She turned to the side to press her ear against it, able to feel his heartbeat once more.

“I won’t give up on us. Even if the skies get rough,” she heard Jeff murmur along with the song. He had a low, gravelly singing voice that Britta rarely got to hear. As such, she never took moments like this for granted.

“I’m giving you all my love. I’m still looking up, I’m still looking up,” he continued. Britta thought that even his soft singing far outclassed whatever Jason Mraz could do.

She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned further into Jeff, grateful for his hand being on her back to steady her. She felt Jeff’s heart rate spike a little and had a swell of pride similar to the one from earlier.

After a moment, she pulled her head up and met Jeff’s gaze. His head was slightly lowered and his lips slightly pursed, clearly having been about to kiss the top of her head.

“You know…I won’t give up, either.”

Jeff gave her an almost devilish smirk. “Oh, you thought I was singing to you? I was actually singing to my Louis Vuitton shoes. They’re from last fall’s limited edition collection, after all.”

Britta snorted. “You’re a jerk.”

“You’re a sap.”

“So are you.”

They looked at each other for a moment, still swaying to the music, Jeff’s hand still rubbing Britta’s back. It only felt natural for them to lean in and close whatever gap remained, lips meeting in a feather light kiss.

Jason Mraz sang one last “I’m still looking up” and Britta thought once again that his voice couldn’t compare to Jeff’s. They were left in the middle of the dance floor, holding onto one another, blissfully unaware of the fact that every other couple had already vacated the area.

“I think we should get married,” Jeff said after another moment had passed.

“Didn’t we do this last month?” Britta asked with a confused sort of chuckle.

Jeff shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t remember it clearly enough,” he said, his thumb still tracing the outline of her right hand, “but someday, Britta Elizabeth Perry, I swear that I’ll be your husband.”

“Maybe _boyfriend_ would be a good start, Jeffery Tobias Winger,” she said, surprised at her own suggestion. It wasn’t often that Jeff dropped his sarcastic, nihilistic facade - or wore down her tough, guarded, and cynical exterior - though, so she supposed that she had to act now.

He smiled, the smile starting out as an amused smirk, but quickly growing into a radiant grin. “Maybe it would, Britts. Maybe it would.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, please leave any thoughts/opinions/etc. in the comments down below!! thanks to the anon who suggested this prompt, I always love a good excuse to write a slow dance scene.


End file.
